Ok, so I’m going to go on a mild rampage here. Lindsey ranted in the tags a little, but only about Herc. I’m here to defend all of these glorious Disney men, because this post pisses me the fuck off. This post is like all of those dumbshits who think Ariel gave up her life for a man. No. Fuck no. Sit the fuck down and let me explain you a thing.
Firstly, Hercules did not want to be famous, he wanted to belong. As a child, he was an outcast. He felt alone in his own home. He was bullied as a child/teenager for his abilities. Have you seen the scene with those punk ass kids and the discus? All he wants is to fit in, and have friends. The only reason he sought fame as an adult is because he thought that’s what would get him recognized as a “true hero” so that he may return to Olympus, with his birth family. That’s where he thought he belonged. Clearly, by the end of the film, he learns his lesson. He chooses to stay on earth, with his adoptive family, and Meg. People who love and accept him exactly as he is.
Aladdin did not desire riches. Aladdin also sought acceptance, and respect.
“Riff-raff"…"Street Rat"…I don’t buy that.
If only they’d look closer. Would they see a poor boy? No sirree. They’d find out there’s so much more to me…
Aladdin was the “diamond in the rough”. His heart was true, and his intentions were always pure. He shared what little food he could get with other orphaned children. He saved Jasmine from wrongful punishment, without knowing anything about her. Prince Ali was his way of trying to get people to see him, and to be able to see Jasmine again. All he wanted was her love. He didn’t want her money, or her social status. There’s an entire moment where he has a meltdown because he realizes that marrying her means he suddenly has the responsibilities of all of Agrabah thrown upon him, and he knows he can’t handle it. That’s not what he wanted. In the end, he proves his worth by saving Jasmine, and Agrabah from Jafar, and keeping his promise by freeing Genie. Aladdin gets what he fought for.
Quasimodo. Mother fuck. I hate people who shit talk Quasi just as much as I hate people who shit talk Ariel. Cannot fucking stand it. Out There, people. Just fucking listen to the entirety of Out There. This poor child has been verbally abused his whole life. He lives secluded from the rest of the world because he is taught that he looks like a “monster”. All he wants is a chance to see what it’s like to be like everyone else. He wants freedom from his tower. When he’s being ridiculed at the end of the crowning of the King of Fools, Esmeralda stands up for him, which is something he has never experienced before. He’s never had someone show him compassion before. Quasimodo has never felt what it’s like to really be cared for until she appears. It was only natural that he’d fall in love with her. She wasn’t put off by his appearance, because Esmeralda knew that’s not what makes a person. Since Quasi was told no one on Earth would ever even be his friend, he thought this meant she might love him too. Naturally, he’s heartbroken when she falls for Phoebus. However, Quasimodo is a good friend, and saves them both from Frollo. He may not have gotten the romantic relationship he’d sought before, but he got something more important than that. He got the love of real friends.
Oh my god. Jim Hawkins. His father abandoned him, and his mother, when he was a kid. He thought it was his fault. He thought he screwed up. He spends his whole life believing he’s nothing but a screw-up. His mother’s business(and their home, on top of that) literally falls to pieces because he tried to do something good for someone else. His whole world is falling apart, and he feels at fault for it. Jim joins the journey to Treasure Planet because he feels like it’s finally his chance to set things right. He wants to take responsibility for the map, because he wants to prove that he’s good for something. Time after time, he’s treated like a child, and all he wants is to prove that he’s worth something. In the end, he leaves Treasure Planet with none of the treasure. Yeah. That’s right. He didn’t take any of the treasure on his way because he was too concerned with saving the lives of everyone around him. Jim never cared about the riches. He just wanted to do something good. And he did more than that.
And finally, Milo Thatch. He didn’t just want to be an explorer. He only really wanted to find Atlantis. He wanted to fulfill the dreams of his grandfather, and prove the existence of a land that everyone else thought was make-believe. During the trip, he gets used and abused and treated like nothing. Once more, in the end, he saves his crew, and the entire city of Atlantis. But why does he do this? Because he knows that it’s the right thing to do. He sends the crew back to the surface without him, and tells them to pretend like they never found it, and that he was lost in the expedition. Milo proceeds to stay in Atlantis, with new-found love Kida, to try to restore the city to its former glory.
So there are my Disney Men rant-type things. Screw anyone who thinks Disney doesn’t send good messages through their characters. All of their heroes are just that. Heroes.
